When Erasmus Zöckler, Helmuth Denck, A. Akovbiantz, and Karl-Joseph Paquet founded a new journal called Chirurgische Gastroenterologie (Surgical Gastroenterology) in 1984, the title was certainly perceived by many as provocative rather than what it was intended to be: a call for interdisciplinary thinking and action. When Paquet stepped down in 2000, Ernst Klar became the first and so far only surgical editor-in-chief of Visceral Medicine, and from 2008 onward, he shared the role of editor-in-chief with gastroenterologist Joachim Moessner.
During this time, the Karger journal has become internationalized and established itself, as reflected in its current name, Visceral Medicine. Meanwhile, it is listed in JCR and PubMed with an IF above the average in surgical journals and in the midfield of gastroenterological journals. It is noticed and respected globally. Ernst Klar was the ideal person for this role. Coming from the Heidelberg School of Christian Herfarth, the founder of the German Cancer Research Center, he had a broad and interdisciplinary understanding of visceral surgery from the outset, which is necessarily integrated into visceral medicine.
Those who met Ernst Klar in person found him to be a friendly and engaging gentleman. However, this understanding and accommodating manner came to an abrupt end when it came to evaluating the scientific quality of submitted manuscripts. The relentlessness he practiced in this regard, along with his tireless personal commitment to his international network of colleagues, made the journal what it is today. The Rostock Chair of Surgery gave him a special opportunity to cultivate relationships with Baltic universities. Ernst Klar used these and many other international connections to spread the spirit and practice of visceral medicine.
When Ernst Klar hands over the role of surgical editor-in-chief to younger hands at the turn of the year, we will have to thank him for many years of stimulating collaboration but also for setting an example of a surgical scientist’s absolute identification with the journal’s mission. We will have to work very hard to fill this gap.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.